Rutgers Students Now Receive ‘Trigger Warnings’ for Greek and Roman Literature and History

Students at Rutgers University-Camden are now being infantilized with “trigger warnings” on Greek and Roman literature and history classes.

Associate professor Evan Jewell, the weirdo behind the trigger warnings, told  Rutgers-Camden News Now that he believes that students need to be warned about historic material that might upset their delicate sensibilities.

“People have rightfully come to a more critical stance against continuing attitudes of racism and misogyny,” he said. “So how do we teach an ancient society where misogyny, sexual assault, and harassment were the norm and built into the classic texts that we read?”

While Jewell acknowledges that people argue this won’t prepare the young minds for the real world, he does not really care.

“There are debates whether taking such an approach doesn’t prepare them for the real world,” he said. “Conversely, some argue that, if someone has had a traumatic assault, the discussion might trigger this experience. I think it’s better to prepare the students than to surprise them.”

As an example, Jewell recounted to the website “an incident where a student had equated homosexuality with pederasty – a romantic relationship between an adult male and younger male – that was socially acceptable in ancient Greece.”

Jewell said that this line of thought “has been used against people in the LGBT community for centuries; to accuse them of pedophilia, to marginalize them, and to exclude them from the community.”

Campus Reform spoke to a Rutgers student who believes that trigger warnings at the university reveal young Americans’ fragility.

“One of the most important jobs of any university, including Rutgers, is to prepare its students for life. It neglects this job when professors beat around the bush when it comes to pertinent issues in today’s society in order to ensure that their students are completely comfortable,” the student remarked.

“However, some topics, like rape and abuse, for example, should be discussed with sensitivity especially because it is such a traumatic experience that some students may have dealt with,” he added. “Otherwise, professors that feel the need to either use trigger warnings or completely dismiss a certain topic not only exposes but encourages our generation’s fragility and over-sensitivity. I believe this could point to a decrease in academic standards at Rutgers because, rather than preparing students for reality, it teaches that it’s okay to ignore a problem or topic if it makes you uncomfortable.”

 

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